There is a common misconception among actors that there are
gazillions of roles they are right for passing them by. In fact, nothing could be further from the
truth. The breakdowns are specific – very specific. The director and the writer
have a very firm idea of who their character is – they have a dream of how the
project will look and feel including the characters in it. Now that may change or move but right now
they have an IDEAL

The writer, the producer, the director and the studio or
network want no, NEED to find the right person to make the project sing.

The casting director is tasked with finding that
diamond. Now it might be physicality, it
might be that the character is a blonde with blue eyes or not. It might be a
presence that they will know when they see it.
It might be a slightly quirky something that again they will recognize
when they see it.

And another thing is happening. This is the second problem with the actor’s
statement. Her agent is submitting her on a lot of projects and the casting
directors are seeing her material A LOT.

They may be impressed with the material, but she is not
fitting the vision for the role.

Remember at this stage the “vision” belongs to the writer
and director not the actor.

Or maybe the casting director doesn’t get the actor. The material isn’t resonating with them. Casting is subjective and casting directors
see different things in different actors. For example, one casting director
will comment that the accent in a scene is not good whereas another casting
director says “meh we have coaches”.

And guess what’s happening to our actor. She’s getting fed up. Where’s that role? Why isn’t my agent doing more? I’ve done the
work, I deserve to get the auditions. I think the casting directors hate me!
And she feeds an ever-spiralling circle of self-doubt, anger and above all,
frustration.

I’ll tell you something.
In all my years in this industry I have seen more actors walk away when
if they had stayed and pushed through, they probably would have seen
success. It is very often not the ones
with the most talent who succeed but those who hang in, who battle through, who
keep going.

Yes, it takes time, sometimes. Overnight success is rare. Very rare. It takes, time, hard work, consistent effort
and above all self-belief.

Remember this is a huge industry and yes the competition is
fierce. But you are living in amazing
times. The industry is global, the
internet enables you to self-tape for anything anywhere, the opportunities are
there for those who are ready for them and I believe, there is enough for
everyone.

But the ones who succeed will be those who do the work, who
persevere, who train consistently, who take their agents and managers advice,
who keep going no matter what.

So please, for your sake, for the sake of your agent or
manager or both, for the sake of the world who should see what you have to offer
– keep going, keep pushing and keep hoping.

Every person is here for a reason. On your journey acting may turn into
directing or coaching or casting or managing – who knows. But if you leave no-one will know what you
could have achieved.